Joliet's Dan's Homemade Candies Still Going Strong

JOLIET, IL — On Tuesday morning, the parking lot along Plainfield Road for Dan's Homemade Candies in Joliet was filled with people sitting in their cars, waiting to drive off with their order. Inside Joliet's 101-year-old small family business, manager Karen Nolan and her staff were busy.

They were processing orders from customers over the phone, through their website and then bringing the assorted candy baskets out to everyone's cars in their parking lot.

Employees at Dan's were practicing social distancing. They are not allowing any customers inside the store amid the new coronavirus outbreak.

This week, Dan's is staying open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It's located at 1003 Plainfield Road, which is Route 30.

After all, Easter Sunday is just days away and that means lots and lots of chocolate bunnies and other assorted candies are a necessity for so many Joliet area families with young children.

On Tuesday, several grandparents waited patiently in their vehicles to pick up their Easter basket candy orders.

"The phone has been lighting up," Nolan told Joliet Patch during Tuesday morning's phone interview before she opened for business.

"Yesterday (Monday) was amazingly crazy. I'm just so thankful that we have so many loyal customers. They're keeping us alive," she added.

Last year marked Dan's 100-year-anniversary in Joliet. Dan's also opened a Mokena store in 2012.

So what's been popular?

Lots of people are buying chocolate bunnies, which Dan's has in several sizes. Jelly beans, gummy bunnies, malted milk eggs are also selling well.

Nolan reminded her Joliet store's customers to please stay inside their vehicles.

"Unfortunately, we had a lot of people coming to the door to knock," she said. "Just for safety's sake, please stay in your car, and we'll bring your order out to you."

Customers can visit their website here to determine their candy selections.

"All our Easter candy is on there," Nolan told Patch.

People can place their orders online or call the candy shop. Dan's Homemade Candies is reachable at 815-722-0712.

For people in the Lincoln Way area, the Dan's Homemade Candies in Mokena is also staying open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday for curbside pickups only during this week of Easter.

The Mokena candy store, 11400 West Lincoln Highway, is in the same business plaza as the Giordano's pizza.

Dan's in Joliet was one of the small businesses to fill out Joliet Patch's simple online survey to let everyone know whether they are open and current hours of operations during the coronavirus outbreak. Nearly 100 Joliet businesses have been added to Patch's list.

If you still want to add your small local business to Joliet Patch's growing list of open and closed businesses, you can do so here.

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